All posts by Taylor Johnson

Election law fireside chat Oct. 27

The Drake Law School Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies is hosting a conversation about election law on Oct. 27 at 4:30 p.m. in Cartwright Hall, Room 206. Speakers include Professor Derek Muller of the University of Iowa College of Law and Alan Ostergren, Election Law Attorney. All students interested in law and/or political science are encouraged to attend. Join us for a conversation on a wide variety of issues in election law—at both the federal and state levels.

— Taylor Johnson, Law School

Drake Road Races registration promo

Registration is now open for 55th annual Drake Road Races on April 23, 2023, with the lowest prices of the year. In honor of the 55th running, the half marathon is only $55. Special pricing extends to the 10k for $35 and the 5k for $25. These flash sale prices end Tuesday, Oct. 18, at 11:59 p.m. Visit drakeroadraces.org to sign up today.

All participants will receive a premium apparel item and finishers will take home a commemorative medal. See you on the Blue Oval.

— Tanner Nissen, Athletics

SJMC Days to feature Professional in Residence Dartanyan Brown, JO’75

Drake SJMC Days will kick off with Jazz, Journalism and the Roots of Creativity: An Evening With Dartanyan Brown on Monday, Oct. 24, at 7 p.m. in Sheslow Auditorium. The event is free and open to the public, sponsored by the Slay Fund for Social Justice and the E.T. Meredith Center for Magazine, Brand Media and Multimedia Education. The event will incorporate presentation, audio and video recordings, and a musical performance. It is based on “My Integrated Life,” an interactive memoir that Brown created for Rootstalk, an online Grinnell College journal.

Brown’s experiences include being a bassist and lead vocalist for acclaimed jazz/rock band Chase; interviewing the late Steve Jobs as a staff reporter for MacWEEK; and spreading the gospel of jazz throughout the country as a teaching artist with legends Dizzy Gillespie, Larry Ridley and Frank Foster. As an early adopter of education technology, he worked for Apple and as part of a team of sound designers and animators that collaborated with Dr. Seuss. His memoir also tells the story of his African-American family’s journey from Reconstruction-era Virginia to the integrated community of Buxton, Iowa, and then Des Moines, where Brown attended North High School.

Brown, JO’75, is a professional in residence working with Drake students during the 2022–2023 academic year. His residency celebrates the liberal arts education he received in both Des Moines public schools and at Drake. “I’ve enjoyed the last 40 years of helping others unlock the creativity they may have thought impossible,” said Brown. “Whether in jazz or journalism, rigor in preparation is a shared trait of both disciplines.”

— Denise Ganpat, School of Journalism and Mass Communication

Archives staff: These are a few of our favorite things

October is American Archives Month and University Archives and Special Collections is celebrating by sharing their favorite things. In a new display located outside the Archives on the second floor of Cowles Library, each member of the Archives team has selected their favorite item from our holdings. The display can also be viewed digitally via StoryMaps.

Learn more about Drake University Archives & Special Collections on our website.

— Hope Bibens, University Archives and Special Collections

Regalia rep offering 10% discount at Bulldog Shop

Faculty interested in ordering regalia are invited to the Bulldog Shop (previously University Bookstore) on Wednesday, Oct. 26, and Thursday, Oct. 27, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. to meet with Jostens representative Andy Ewert. Jostens is a product partner specializing in regalia. Andy can help with measurements and orders, and he will be offering a 10% discount during the event.

— Drinda Williams, Office of the Provost

Chili lunch and dessert bake off

Join All Staff Council for a chili lunch and dessert bake off Wednesday, Nov. 2, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Pomerantz Stage, Olmsted Center. Sodexo will provide chili and cornbread for staff for $5.

We encourage staff members to sign up for the dessert bake off. Any and all desserts are welcome. You must provide at least 24 servings per entry. You will deliver your baked items to Lynne Cornelius in the student inclusion suite, Olmsted Center, before 11 a.m. Entries will be judged by a three-person panel and there will be prizes for the top three entries. Sign up.

— Courtney Conrad, On behalf of All Staff Council

Seats available in ENG 120: Yoga, Practice, and Writing

If you are looking for a unique way to satisfy a Writing AOI, consider this hybrid domestic travel J-Term (one week online, one week on retreat at the historic Hotel Patee in Perry, Iowa). All meals, accommodations (double room) and instruction by deeply experienced and certified yoga teachers for the full course total only $600. No special equipment, experience, or body type is required. Just curiosity and a desire to write. Email carol.spaulding@drake.edu for more information. (Course is not affiliated with the global travel seminars program).

— Carol Spaulding-Kruse, Professor of English

Domestic Violence Awareness Month

Drake University and Drake Public Safety recognizes the importance of October as National Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

The U.S. Department of Justice estimates that 1.3 million women and 835,000 men are victims of physical violence by a partner every year.

If you are experiencing domestic abuse, please go to the National Domestic Violence Hotline (800.799.SAFE {7233}) for help.

If you are in danger on or near the campus, call 911 for the Des Moines Police Department or 515-271-2222 for Drake Public Safety.

Please download the Drake Guardian App at https://www.drake.edu/publicsafety/drakeguardianmobileapp/ for additional functionality.

— Scott Law, Executive Director, Public Safety & Operational Services

Heat to switch on in campus buildings soon

Drake University will switch from cooling to heating in mid-October based on outside temperatures. We are monitoring the forecast closely during the next few weeks and are tentatively setting the changeover date as beginning Oct. 24.

If the forecast changes we will adjust changeover dates according to the temperatures. The changeover process takes our department about a week to drain the loops and switch systems from one mode (cooling) to the other (heating).  We start with the residence halls first because these buildings are occupied 24/7.  Once the switch occurs, there is no changing back until the next cooling season (in mid-April).

Thanks for your patience during this fall season when air conditioning may not be available and we prepare to switch from cooling to heat.  During that time if a room is not comfortable, please let us know so our staff can see if adjustments can be made.

Aaron Edwards, Facility Planning and Management

Panel presentation on expanding access to justice added to Law School’s Cady Day of Service programs

The Law School will host a panel presentation on overcoming barriers to justice as part of the Law School’s Mark S. Cady Day of Public Service programming. Retired Iowa Supreme Court Justice and law professor Brent Appel assembled the panel titled “Serving Iowans: Expanding Access to Justice.” The event will be held on Friday, Oct. 21 at 3 p.m. at Drake Law School, Cartwright Hall, room 203. The program is free and open to the public.

Panelists include Mandy Easter, Law Librarian for the State of Iowa, and Carissa Vogel, Law Library Director at the University of Iowa, who will present “Introducing the People’s Law Library;” Amy Skogerson, founder of The Law Shop, will discuss “Alternative Structures to Delivery of Legal Services;” and Carol Phillips, Executive Director of the Polk County Bar Association, will present “Opportunities for Pro Bono Representation;” Professor Sally Frank, professor of law at Drake Law School, will present “What is Happening at the Drake Legal Clinic.” Justice Appel will serve as moderator.

Cady Day of Public Service is dedicated to late Iowa Supreme Court Chief Justice Mark Cady and honors his lifelong commitment to public service, access to justice, and civil rights. The panel topic is consistent with Chief Justice Cady’s goals and will provide students and the public an opportunity to hear about local initiatives to better address the legal needs of the public. “The speakers will explore a number of approaches to closing the gap for access to justice,” said Justice Appel. “Expanding access to legal information and services is critically important for thousands of Iowans.”

Justice Appel has dedicated his career to promoting justice. After earning his J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, Appel clerked for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. He then served with the Iowa Attorney General’s Office. At the time of his appointment to the Iowa Supreme Court in 2006, he was a partner at Wandro, Baer & Appel in Des Moines. In 2022, Appel received The Iowa State Bar Association’s Rolland E. Grefe Pro Bono Publico Award for his leadership in advocating for access to justice for all Iowans throughout his career, and for his outstanding work as the chair of the Iowa Supreme Court’s Access to Justice Commission since it was formed in 2016. Appel has been a full-time faculty member at Drake Law School since his retirement from the Iowa Supreme Court in July of 2022.

— Taylor Johnson, Law School